How to Grow a Healthy Green Lawn

Beautiful Lawns with a Few Simple Steps

Oct 30, 2009
Lorraine Syratt

Healthy Green Lawn - Lorraine Syratt

Gardeners are always looking for perfection when it comes to their lawns. And those healthy green lawns can be had by following a few simple rules.

Every gardener wants a healthy green lawn. In most regions in North America chemicals are now banned. But gardeners can still have a beautiful lawn without their use. All it takes is a little attention, a good seed mix, fertilizer and water.

Choosing Lawn Seed

In choosing grass seed, there's a lot to consider. Superior brands are usually more expensive, but poor investments as grass from this seed may be prone to fungus or rot. The experts suggest sowing a mixture of several varieties of lawn seed.

A mix of seeds will guarantee the gardener a rich green lawn even if some grass plants don't do as well as others. Different varieties are at their best at different times through the growing season. Even in the drier month of August and well into fall, the grass will be green, because the gardener isn't relying on one type of seed.

For gardeners in regions with dry gardens, add a higher percentage of seed suitable to withstand dry spells.

The Best Time to Sow Grass Seed

The best time to sow grass seed is in late summer. The weeds have exhausted themselves by this time, so there is little competition in the soil. Sowing in late summer also gives the grass a chance to grow on before frost – above and below the soil.

Aerating and De-Thatching the Lawn

Lawns need to be aerated. While dense lawns keep the weeds at bay, there has to be a happy medium. Tightly-packed grass doesn't allow water to seep through into the soil. The lawn will need to be hard raked to de-thatch it. Then use a garden fork and walk around with it poking small holes in the lawn. Lack of water at root level is the most common reason why lawns fail.

Adding Organic Matter

Once the lawn is de-thatched and aerated, it's time to add organic matter to the soil. The best time to do this in on the day before rain is expected, to save a little water. For an established lawn, the gardener will need well-rotted or composted manure from the garden center. Fresh manure from a farmyard is full of weed seeds from pasture land, so it's not recommended.

Add a shovel load of composted manure to an area within a four foot square and rake it in evenly. Add a sprinkling of mixed lawn seed and rake it in before you move to the next square. The rain will let the new organic matter and the seed seep into the aerated soil. If working with composted manure doesn't appeal to the gardener, garden centers have all sorts of organic fertilizers formulated for lawns.

Fertilize to Keep Weeds Out

If weeds are persistent, the gardener needs to stay on top of it to keep them from going to seed in his garden. Fertilizing is the best way to keep the weeds at bay. Be more generous with the feeding if weeds are an ever-present problem. The grass will be more vigorous and the weeds won't have a place to plant themselves.

By following these few simple tips, the lawn could be the greenest in the neighborhood. It isn't difficult to rejuvenate a tired old lawn or keep a new lawn healthy. Use a variety of lawn seed, aerate the lawn by de-thatching, add fertilizer and water.

For further information, please read The Best Lawn Seed Mixes for Gardens in Cold Climates and How to Maintain a Green Lawn in Shade.

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